Great Wilderness Demon Lord

The wind and snow subsided by evening, and the leaden-gray clouds hung low, pressing the twilight down.

Xiao Yunlan lay in a snowdrift in the sheltered part of the hill, his breath forming fine frost on his eyelashes.

With his eyes closed, his mind was like a wide-open net, capturing every slight movement around him.

Thirty paces to the right front, behind a gray rock half-hidden by snow, came three very faint, rhythmic taps—the crisp sound of pebbles striking frozen ground, the intervals of which were exactly the same as the coded message he had sent back yesterday via arrow.

He opened his eyes, a sharp glint in them, and gestured to his side.

Corporal Chen, who was lying nearby, quietly got up and, like a fox in the snow, silently glided toward the source of the sound.

About fifteen minutes later, Sergeant Chen brought back the two men.

Both men wore dark gray cloaks that differed slightly from the garrison's uniforms, with white camouflage cloaks over them, and their faces were smeared with dark brown ointment to prevent frostbite, making them almost blend into their surroundings.

The person in the lead was agile and steady, and although he had traveled a long distance in stealth, his breathing was still calm. Only his eyes shone brightly in the dim light.

Upon seeing Xiao Yunlan, he knelt on one knee, touched the snow, clasped his hands, and said in a low voice, "Lu Zheng, the Commandant of the Northern Expeditionary Army of Zhenhuang Pass, has come here with a hundred elite soldiers on the orders of Her Highness the Princess and Deputy Commander Han, to await Commander Xiao's command."

Xiao Yunlan stood up and offered a slight gesture of support: "Commander Lu, you've worked hard. How are the brothers?"

"They split into ten teams and have arrived at the meeting point at 'Ghost Cry Gorge' five miles northeast, as agreed. They did not encounter the Wolf Rong brigade along the way, and only dealt with two patrol teams of three men each." Lu Zheng spoke steadily and clearly. "His Highness has ordered that this hundred elite men, including myself, shall henceforth be under the command of Captain Xiao."

Further updates regarding the situation within the territory, as well as His Highness's oral instructions, must be reported to the Captain in person.

Xiao Yunlan nodded and said to Sergeant Chen, "Take Commandant Lu's men to rejoin the brothers, strengthen vigilance, and rest where you are. I have something to say to Commandant Lu."

Everyone retreated silently, leaving only Xiao Yunlan and Lu Zheng in the snowdrift.

Lu Zheng took out a wax pill from his personal leather pouch, crushed it, and pulled out a thin silk cloth rolled up with extremely fine threads. He presented it with both hands: "A letter from Your Highness."

Xiao Yunlan quickly browsed the pages in the last rays of daylight.

The letter was written by Li Xuan himself, with bold and unrestrained handwriting. He first affirmed Li Xuan's achievements at Shuofeng Plain and the effectiveness of his current harassment, and stated that he had added 100 troops to his command. He hoped that Li Xuan would make good use of this force to continue to wear down and harass the enemy, and seize the opportunity to cooperate with the main force inside the pass to create a battle opportunity.

The letter specifically mentioned that Commander Lu Zheng was a veteran of many battles and familiar with the Lang Rong tribe, and could be of assistance to her, but clearly emphasized that "everything is under your command." It was stamped with the Princess's personal seal at the end.

"Your Highness's kindness is deeply appreciated." Xiao Yunlan brought the silk paper close to her breath, watching the ink blur and disappear in the dampness, before looking up at Lu Zheng. "Captain Lu, what are your thoughts on the current situation?"

Lu Zheng seemed to have been prepared. After a moment's thought, he said directly, "The Wolf Rong have been attacked repeatedly. Although the losses are not great, their morale has been dampened and they are on high alert. He Chi is a steady and reliable military strategist. Now that their rear is unstable and a frontal assault is unlikely to be a quick victory, they will prioritize defense and at the same time try to eliminate the threat from behind."

My subordinates have observed that their patrol area has expanded outwards by ten miles, the number of scouts has increased, and they are now mostly operating in small teams of ten or more, no longer easily splitting up to pursue. This is a strategy to counter our small-scale harassment raids.

"Not bad." Xiao Yunlan nodded. "He Chi is shrewd. After suffering a few losses, he changed his tactics. We are outnumbered. If we continue with piecemeal efforts, the results will become increasingly meager, and our own risks will increase."

"The meaning of 'Captain' is..."

"Since he is wary of my small force, I will concentrate my forces and attack them." Xiao Yunlan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Now I have more than 150 cavalry, all of whom are elite. Although it is still not enough to shake the foundation of their camp, if we concentrate our forces and choose their weak points, such as a certain camp gate or a certain supply depot on the periphery, we can suddenly exert our strength, strike once and leave, and cause far more chaos and casualties than before."

If the Wolf Rong send troops to pursue us, we will devour small groups and avoid large ones.

Princess Guannei and Vice Commander Han will definitely cooperate. If the Langrong army moves, Guannei will take action.

Thus, the harassment was no longer a mosquito bite, but a short dagger hanging over Hechi's head, preventing him from ever sleeping peacefully.

Lu Zheng's eyes lit up: "This plan is excellent! Concentrate superior forces and launch a thunderous attack. We don't aim to capture camps or seize territory, but rather to shock the enemy and disrupt their deployment. However..." He paused for a moment, "The target must be carefully selected, and the timing must be just right. After the attack, regardless of the outcome, we must immediately retreat and disengage."

Having learned its lesson this time, the Wolf Barbarians will surely adjust their deployment, strengthen their outer defenses, and may even set up ambushes.

"So, we'll only do it once," Xiao Yunlan said resolutely. "It has to be fast, ruthless, and make He Chi suffer to the core. After that, we'll break up into smaller groups and continue to deal with him."

But next time, if he tries to arrest us again, it won't be so easy.

As night deepened, the two sketched simple outlines on the snow with twigs, quickly devising several potential attack targets, retreat routes, support plans, and how to communicate with those inside the pass and seek support.

Lu Zheng was clearly very familiar with the layout of the Wolf Rong camp and the surrounding terrain. He pointed out several details and potential problems that Xiao Yunlan had not noticed, and Xiao Yunlan readily accepted his advice and made adjustments one by one.

After the agreement was reached, Xiao Yunlan patted Lu Zheng's shoulder armor: "Captain Lu, for this operation, you will lead your fifty cavalrymen as the left wing, I will lead my original troops as the right wing, and Sergeant Chen will lead twenty men to cover the rear and create chaos."

They departed at 3:45 AM, arrived at their attack positions at 2:45 AM, and launched simultaneously at 4:00 AM. The signal was three red rockets.

"Your subordinate obeys!" Lu Zheng solemnly clasped his hands, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

He had been stationed on the frontier for a long time and had experienced countless battles, large and small, against the Rong tribes, but such a skillful, flexible, and surprise attack that penetrated deep into enemy territory was rare.

This young Captain Xiao possesses extraordinary courage and decisiveness.

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At the beginning of the Yin hour, the wind and snow started again.

The snowflakes were no longer falling gently, but were instead whipped into icy blades by the north wind, sweeping across the wasteland and reducing visibility to less than twenty paces.

The cold was biting, and your breath would freeze instantly.

One hundred and fifty-four riders, both men and horses gagged and with their hooves wrapped in thick cloth, slipped out of "Ghost Cry Ravine" like ghosts under the double cover of wind, snow and night. They split into three groups, following the undulating terrain, and stealthily made their way toward the Wolf Rong camp ten miles away.

Xiao Yunlan led fifty-four riders on the right flank, taking a secluded path closest to the banks of the Shuoshui River.

The ice here is frozen solid, and with withered reeds and undulating hills on both sides provide cover. Although it is a longer route, it is the most secluded.

The cold wind swept across the river, whipping up snowflakes that stung our faces, but everyone kept their bodies low, clinging to the necks of horses or the backs of wolves, and moved forward in silence.

Lu Zheng's left wing chose a more direct route, which required crossing a relatively open, rocky beach.

The risks are greater, but if penetration is successful, the time to reach the attack location will be earlier, and the real-time situation of the target area will be better observed.

Corporal Chen's 20-man rearguard team stayed at the very back, maintaining a distance. They served as a reserve force, responsible for clearing any traces left behind, and creating disturbances in another direction after the main force launched its attack, thus tying down the enemy.